ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to directly release funds to police stations in Islamabad for day-to-day expenditures, including fuel for vehicles and maintenance of buildings.

Police officers told Dawn that the direct release of funds to the police stations was part of the newly-introduced Criminal Justice System initiated on the directives of Prime Minster Imran Khan.

In this regard, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Qazi Jamilur Rehman has initiated a summery and started working on police station-based budgeting, they added.

At present, funds are directly released to the police stations in KP and Karachi only.

In the budget for the fiscal year 2021-22, funds would directly be released to the police stations in Islamabad through an ID generated for drawing and disbursement. In this regard, IDs for all the police stations have been generated.

According to an SRO, the Finance Division has authorised the station house officers (SHOs) in Islamabad as the drawing and disbursement offices (DDOs) for their respective jurisdiction.

Step will improve service delivery, says IGP

Another SRO stated that in pursuance of the federal government’s decision, Rule No 130(3) of General Financial Rues is amended, henceforth, the rules shall read as under: “The head of any office may authorise any gazetted officer serving under him, or other officials as authorised by the Finance Division, to incur expenditure under sub-para (1) above subject to the conditions specified in Treasury Rules 142.”

In practice, the moharrars of police stations send receipts of expenditures for reimbursement. It included purchase of stationery, utility bills, fuel for official vehicles and maintenance of police station buildings.

Besides, meals are provided by the police for suspects detained at the police stations, they said, adding but the police stations and officials never got 100pc reimbursement.

In the budget 2020-21, Rs8bn were sanctioned for the capital police and 97pc of it was spent on salaries.

The remaining three per cent was utilised to make the police functional, including on the operations division, police stations, investigation wings, logistic, security and traffic divisions.

The officers said IGP Rehman had also introduced an internal audit system and inspection of the police stations for transparency in utilisation of the funds.

When contacted, the IGP said it was a revolutionary step towards improving the service delivery at the police station level.

“This happened due to the personal intervention of the prime minister,” he added.

“This will be applicable from July 2021 when we will get direct budget for the police stations,” he said, adding all important heads of accounts, including fuel, cost of investigation and repairs, will be given to each police station.

“We are also in the process of training officials to maintain accounts of the police stations,” he added.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2021